In early August Christchurch-grown band There’s A Tuesday spent 10 days in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, on a pioneering residency designed to bridge connections between South Korea and Aotearoa. Samantha Cheong joined them as a funded music journalist, to capture just what Nat Hutton, Minnie Robberds, Gus Murray and Joel Becker experienced – such as moshing at the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival and performing live in Asia for the first time. 

Day 1, Friday August 1, 2025

After recovering from the half-day flight from Auckland to Seoul, There’s A Tuesday and I were given a blistering introduction to the first day of the three-day Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival, that draws over 150,000 people each year.

Although heatwave warnings shook our phones, we first had to navigate the 2km or more queues of patrons who stood patiently in the fever of Incheon, a city just over an hour away from our base in the Hongdae district of Seoul.

“There was like a million-minute line stretched out across this really amazing cityscape,” commented co-frontwoman Minnie later, referencing the blue skyline of apartment buildings towering above throngs of patrons.

Once we got in the fun began. For drummer Gus the festival was an “absolutely out of this world” first impression, not only of the K-rock scene, but its respectful and enthusiastic fans – encompassing the ideal type of audience (those who show up, purchase merch, and passionately learn all of the lyrics).

“Just going there, seeing the variety of acts, and witnessing a bit of Korean festival culture was a really unique, eye-opening experience,” he reflected.

The band got up close to watch the performance of indie rock artist Kimseungjoo, with whom they would soon collaborate as a key part of the residency arranged via Auckland’s Big Fan and the Asia NZ Foundation. We cheered the Seoul-native on, impressed by his energy and connection with the crowd.

“Although there’s quite a large language barrier for us trying to get into some of the music, you could really tell that they had the respect of the audience,” Gus said. “They were able to communicate with a crowd that seemed to really appreciate them. And there were some pretty mind-boggling instrumentalists too, every band seemed to have someone who would just shred!”

We were able to catch a number excellent acts such as all-girl band QWER (named after their love for video games – think of computer keyboards), an incredibly tight performance by Nerd Connection, and the high-octane vocals and suave of Touched. I loved the hairstyle of their lead singer so much that I got a matching haircut a couple days later.

However, the festival atmosphere was not without challenges, sticky blankets of heat wrapped themselves around us. ‘Cooling Rooms’ that were dotted across the grassy expanse provided air-conditioned bliss, and much needed relief from the fierce sun.

The vibe for the band members peaked during Little Simz’s main stage set. The whole band piled into the mosh, with Gus’ moves even landing on the British rapper’s Instagram story.

“Proper amazing set – she played a bunch of favourites and a few new cuts,” he grinned. “We’re massive fans. We’ve used her music to hype us up heaps in the past before shows. Being 50 feet away from someone who inspires us that much was surreal!”

What stood out for the entire band was the respect of the moshing crowd. If someone went down, space cleared and people helped them right up, Gus observed. “There was no trampling or elbows thrown. You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone mad in that mosh.”

Nat described the day as “…one of the best of our whole lives.” She admired how audiences balanced energy with etiquette.

“Everyone was so into the music, but when the artist spoke, they went completely silent. Everyone was genuinely there for the music, purely for the purpose of it being a music festival. They were so polite – lining up rather than pushing ahead. It was inspiring, actually.”

Day 2, Saturday

After a bit of trouble navigating our way there we made it to a meeting with Creative Artist Management, where the band had a really interesting kōrero around what it’s like to release music in this market. There’s A Tuesday were encouraged to prioritise international demographics.

“We learnt about how TV is quite a big part of Korean music distribution,” said Minnie. “Lots of Korean artists get famous through their appearances on TV and it’s real cool to hear that TV’s got a bit of a strength because I’m personally a TV person.”

In contrast radio it isn’t a big thing in South Korea, it’s all about streaming and the socials. “Apparently the magazine culture is huge, and we were told that DM’ing a magazine there is a good idea, and even normal procedure,” reported Nat.

Getting back to Hongdae central, I asked the band for their first video chat, their dripping beads of sweat not deterring the four-piece’s appreciation for their first days in Seoul.

The finale of the residency would see the Kiwi band perform at the Tune Up Meets Fresh Finds concert at CJ Azit. Before that There’s A Tuesday would be collaborating in songwriting with K-indie artist Kimseungjoo, who they had been introduced to at Pentaport. I asked about the band’s likely sound for a follow up to Blush.

“I think a higher gain sound is something that’s on our radar,” suggested Minnie. “We’re inspired by a few artists who have a bit of a heavier tone, guitar-wise, and we sort of leant into that with our last record for a couple songs. It’ll be interesting to see if that’s where we go with Seung Joo, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

“I think having an opportunity to take a different approach to a writing process is exciting, especially in an environment that is quite incredibly new for us,” Gus added.

Day 3, Sunday 

During an Uber ride, Minnie tried to tell the driver that she loved Seoul. A translation app mistakenly read, ‘We are the souls of love.’

“He just replied in Korean, ‘Haha, okay, funny New Zealand lady,’” Nat recounted.

With two days dedicated to exploration she was particularly keen to see the palaces that are features of the middle of the city. We started with Gyeongbokgung Palace, where gorgeous architecture, old trees and a central lake greeted us. It was the first royal palace of the Joseon dynasty, established in 1395.

We spent several calming hours strolling through many buildings of emerald and crimson features, marvelling at the attention to detail and feeling the weight of its age.

A highlight of the trip was exploring the street food scene. We later headed to Myeongdong Night Market where blocks and blocks of stalls lined the middle of the roads, surrounded by tall retail buildings open for businesses.

Intersections were filled with people from all walks of life, locals and tourists alike. Some stalls were capitalising off the Squid Games hype, offering items like the dalgona cookie, whose delicateness had the Netflix series’ contestants shaking.

All in the band were impressed enough to clap, Minnie summarising that it was some of the best food she’d ever had. “Every single thing we’ve eaten has been incredible.”

Day 4, Monday 

On Monday we were welcomed at the New Zealand Embassy in Seoul. Sarah McDowell, Deputy Head of Mission, expressed delight in hosting the first Kiwi band to undertake a residency in Korea, and highlighted the importance of people-to-people connections. It’s easy to forget that music is a trade, in many facets of the word.

There’s A Tuesday and the Embassy staff closed the meeting with a waiata, earning praise from McDowell. “We were moved by the band’s openness and pride in bringing this part of NZ with them, and it was a privilege to join in that moment of harmony and aroha.”

Day 5, Tuesday

The band were given a personal tour of one of Korea’s biggest indie-music companies, Mound Media. Kim Kunsoo (Kevin) gave advice on ‘how to post and what to post’ for social media, a must in Korean music marketing, showing how to give fans a visual experience that goes beyond simply listening. He was asked how international acts could break into the scene?

“Foreign bands tend to do well if they have a big visual group identity. Korean idols are about fan engagement, but indie is more about arts and culture – that’s the key difference.”

Day 6, Wednesday

The time had finally come to head into the recording studio with local artist Kimseungjoo and his band. Run by CJ Cultural Foundation which was behind the residency, the CJ Azit studio is Seoul’s counterpart to Auckland’s Big Fan, a multi-purpose space that has supported more than 200 musicians and 70 albums through its Tune Up, Stage Up and Story Up programs.

Despite not sharing a primary tongue, There’s A Tuesday and the K-indie performer hit it off, Nat saying most of their communication happened through the music, the language barrier actually creating some special interactions and moments. Joel agreed.

“No one was too proud or too shy. Everyone shared ideas – it was fluid.” Two days later, Kimseungjoo would join them on stage to debut the track!

Day 7, Thursday

Another eye-opening meeting was on the agenda, Spotify Korea were hosting the upcoming concert in partnership with CJ Cultural Foundation, and the band got to meet with them. Joel shared some nuggets of his new knowledge.

“In NZ Spotify is number one, but here it’s only number three – and they’re really pushing to gain users through gigs and ads.”

South Korea’s top platform, Melon, has been around the longest, but as Joel explained it’s much more focused on Korean music than on international K-pop.

Day 8, Friday

With the trip’s culmination performance coming up, the band headed back to CJ Azit to rehearse their set for tomorrow’s sold-out concert. They would be opening for the high-spirited band jisoKury Club, alongside K-alt rock group Can’t Be Blue.

Day 9, Saturday

The Tune Up Meets Fresh Finds concerts have been propelling emerging South Korean artists for some years, and the Kiwis were taking it seriously, with healthy doses of excitement and nerves. They had learned a few phrases in Korean, including some trendy gestures to pull.

Their set opened with the smouldering Bad Things, built towards the upbeat Cotton Mouth, and closed things on a high with crowd-favourite Margo.

“The audience really listened,” Minnie reflected afterwards. “It felt like a sincere connection.”

What I felt in the room was a hugely respectful and open atmosphere, just like at Pentaport. Locals listened intently despite the language barrier, smiling and laughing as if There’s A Tuesday were well-known friends.

Following the show the amazing new connections between bands and foundation officials culminated in a post-concert dinner. It was beautiful to see some natural mingling occur throughout this feast. They congratulated each other for their performances, swapped more slang, toasted the room and shared gratitude towards CJ Cultural Foundation.

It was Minnie’s favourite moment. For her their Seoul residency was all about connection, “… and this beautiful thing that had just happened. That dinner wrapped it all up perfectly.”

There’s A Tuesday left Seoul with new friendships, new songs, and new ways of seeing music. They also left with momentum -heading to Brisbane’s Bigsound festival, then on to headline shows in Australia for the first time.